Orange County Democratic congressional candidate Michael Kotick on Wednesday ended his bid to unseat GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, making him the second Democrat in recent weeks to exit the competitive race in order to avoid a scenario in which two Republicans advance to a General Election runoff.

The contest for the 48th Congressional District is for one of four longtime GOP-held seats that national Democrats have targeted as part of a national effort to retake the House of Representatives. But a flood of Democratic candidates in three of the local races – including the 48th – threatens to split the vote in a way that could allow two Republican candidates to make it through to November even if Democrats, overall, get more votes. In California’s jungle primary system, the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party affiliation.

An all-GOP November ballot became more likely in Rohrabacher’s district after well-known local Republican Scott Baugh entered the race near the filing deadline.

Democrats recently pared their numbers in the contest from eight to six, following the decisions to withdraw by Kotick and Laura Oatman, who exited in March while urging others to do the same in the name of party unity. Oatman also endorsed Rouda. Both candidates’ names still will appear on the June 5 ballot because they dropped out after the filing deadline.

“With 16 candidates declaring their candidacy for CA-48, and living in a country that is laced with division, the most important job for those who care about their community is to bring people together,” Michael Kotick said in a prepared statement of his decision to withdraw. “Harley has shown a consistent commitment to building support from the community-up and continues to gain momentum — and momentum wins races.”

Prominent Democrats see Rouda and stem-cell biologist Hans Keirstead as the party’s two frontrunners to unseat Rohrabacher. National Democrats recruited Keirstead to run and he’s endorsed by the California Democratic Party. Rouda, on the other hand, has been endorsed by several regional Democratic members of Congress, including Linda Sanchez, Lou Correa and Alan Lowenthal. Rouda and Keirstead also were the top two fundraising Democrats in the race through 2017.

Jordan Graham covers congressional politics and county government for the Orange County Register. He began his career reporting freelance civic and watchdog journalism in his hometown of Chicago before moving westward in 2013. He has previously covered Irvine, the San Fernando Valley and Costa Mesa for the Register. He is a graduate of University of Illinois and Northwestern University. Please email or call him with news tips.